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natalievoncatte · 2 months

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On Krypton, vows had meaning. Proclamations were not made lightly, and promises were not given casually. Kara’s peers wouldn’t throw one out as a reassurance, or to settle an argument. They were a logical people. They didn’t deceive, didn’t speak words they didn’t know to be true, and didn’t give opinions that were not informed. Society was ordered and regimented, and everyone put the greater good before themselves. So if you made a promise, no matter how great or how small, you would do it.

Kara learned, later in life, that a lot of her birth culture was, to use an English word that had no equivalent in her language, bullshit. Kryptonians would, she thought, claim that they had no use for such a vulgar term for cavalier prevarication because they did not practice it. That would had been a lie.

Her parents bullshitted her. They bullshitted her about the society she was growing up in. Her world wasn’t a real of perfect logic and order, it was a hidebound, decaying ex-empire that put tradition so irrationally high on a pedestal that they let their world be destroyed and all but a handful of their people wiped out because tradition said that her uncle was wrong about the planetary core going unstable.

Nevertheless, when Kara made a promise, she meant it. When she said she’d vowed to protect her adoptive home with her life, she meant it. Those words all but signed her life away in service to the cause. She was this way in everything, from saving the world down to brining Cat Grant a precisely prepared cup of coffee. Her promises meant something.

That was why she filled herself with dread the instant a promise, given unthinkingly in the heat of the moment, tumbled out of her mouth.

I will always be your friend, and I will always protect you.

She’d dishonored herself with the promise, one broken as it was made. She held Lena tight, speaking with conviction, and promised to be a friend even as she lied, swore to protect even as she deceived. It was a promise that couldn’t be kept no matter what she did.

Kara had become human in so many ways, and it gnawed at her. Another English word that had no exact Kryptonian equivalent was freedom. A proper Kryptonian would be horrified at ideas that boiled down to “I can do what I want”; I can choose my career, my partner, my life. I can put fulfillment ahead of the role chosen for me by those who know better. Yet Kara had embraced it full throated, making choices whenever she could.

The one thing she would never give up was the value of an oath.

She was over the Pacific, thinking. She would come out here from time to time to think and clear her head when the city soundscape became overwhelming, and just let herself drift in the air. There were no texts to agonize over, no emails from Snapper, nothing but herself and the lapping of waves and the distant rumble of storms over the open ocean.

She’d been coming out here more and more of late, not to think but to avoid thinking.

Because Lena knew, and Kara knew something was wrong. She could be dense about human behavior sometimes, but she was no fool… and she had super senses. She could read Lena’s pulse and see infrared flush of her skin and spot micro-movements of her eyes. Kara wanted desperately to believe that nothing was wrong but her instincts said otherwise.

When Kara told her, Lena had gone stock still and stared at her with what Kara thought was hatred, bringing tears. She’d tried to tell her how sorry she was, but Lena had just walked right past her and only later returned to her usual self.

Almost.

Kara had thrown herself into it, going on a campaign of what Alex had called ‘peacocking’ for some reason, all but burying Lena with super-stunts like fetching fresh pastries from French patissiers. Lena had smiled and thanked her but there was something flat and distant in it, and Kara ignored it and insisted that all was well.

Out here, with just the storms and her secrets, she knew it wasn’t.

Kara fingered the crest on her chest, worrying her thumb over the crimson fabric of the El rune. This meant something. It meant both ‘hope’ and ‘stronger together’; the two ideas were inextricably linked but her cousin only understood one of the meanings, because Kryptonian pictographic language was complex, and he was not Kryptonian in any way that mattered.

That was another great failing, a promise that Kara made but didn’t keep. By her people’s standards, there was no shame in that; one did not bear the responsibility of a promise made under duress, or a promise that others demanded knowing that it couldn’t be kept.

The only one she’d kept Kryptonian was herself, deep in a secret corner of her soul that meant it if she said she’d be at your birthday party or bring you a donut. The part that treated promises like promises.

There was only one way to cleanse herself, and remove her shame. She knew what it was, but she was afraid. Kara had battled monsters and gods, faced death more than once, lost more than any person should have to lose in a dozen lifetimes, but there was one thing she feared above all others.

She feared that first honest look on Lena’s shocked face more than she feared an eternity without stars. She could live in the void between realities; a void without Lena would kill her more surely than any green poison.

Now. She had to do it now, before she lost her nerve. She flew back to the city, flew hard, slowing only to land on Lena’s balcony, softly. As she raised her hand to knock on the glass of the door, she hesitated, nearly turned back.

Lena opened it, and Kara let out a slow breath. Lena was wearing only a loose, flowing floral robe, with clearly nothing beneath it. Terror made her listen- if Lena had a guest in that state, Kara might just fling herself into the sun and be done with it.

She was alone. Lena shifted on her feet.

“Why are you all wet?”

Kara’s hair was damp with sea spray and she’d flown through a few clouds on her way back.

“I like to fly over the ocean and think.”

“Well, come in here already. Let me get you a towel. Do you want something to change into?”

Kara swallowed hard. No. She wanted the honor of her family on her chest right now. She needed it to make her brave, like her father said it would when he sent her into the void. She did take the towel.

Lena had been enjoying her tea and sad breakfast -toast with jam- before Kara arrived. She left it on the counter and sat on her couch, leaving Kara to pace.

“I can tell you’re upset,” said Lena. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Everything,” said Kara. “I have a lot to say and I don’t know how to say it. I haven’t told you the full truth and I have to. I need to. It’s eating me alive inside.”

Lena swallowed hard, her heart racing.

“Please don’t tell me you’re Batman, too.”

“Lena, this is serious.”

Kara swept across the room and knelt in front of her, and Lena’s eyes shot open wide in surprise. Kara looked at the carpet in front of her, unable to look Lena in the eye.

“A long time ago, I promised you I’d always take care of you, and I didn’t. I was lying to you when I said it and I lied to you for years after.”

“Kara…”

“Please,” desperation choked her voice, “let me finish. I owe you the full truth. I promised, and promises are sacred to Kryptonians. My soul will be stained forever unless I fulfill the oath I made.”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“Yes it was,” said Kara. “It was to me. It was everything to me. Please.”

Lena cleared her throat. “Okay.”

“I told you I lied to you to protect you. That was another lie. That’s not why I did it. I lied because I was weak and I put my own feelings ahead of doing what was right. I was scared. I was scared that if you knew it would change how you saw me and it would change our relationship. You were the only person I could almost be myself with and I didn’t want that to change. You were a safe person I could go to without having to be Supergirl.”

Lena was studying her, a soft hint of skepticism in her expression.

Kara stood up and paced.

“I don’t know how to do this, Lena. I may act human and look human but I’m not. I grew up on another planet with another culture and so many things about this world are just totally different from how I was raised.”

Kara took a deep breath.

“On Krypton we didn’t have queerness. People didn’t value freedom of choice. You did what society told you to do. You joined the guild you were pledge to at birth and married the person you were told to marry and had the offspring you were told to have and raised them to do the same thing. The same fucking thing.”

Lena sat up at Kara’s sudden, vehement profanity.

“I didn’t know the word freedom until I arrived here. I had no concept of it. I had no idea how fragile and precious it is. Sure, I talked about it and wrote essays about it in school, but I didn’t get it. Not until I met you.”

Kara looked at Lena.

“You are my freedom. You’re the first thing I’ve ever chosen, really chosen, in my life, besides being Supergirl. It was you that made me look Cat Grant and Alex both in the eyes and say ‘no, this is what I want, this is how it’s going to be for me and it’s my choice, not yours.’ Back home I never, ever would have even thought what I’m about to say now.”

Kara swallowed, hard.

“I was afraid to tell you because I was afraid it would change our relationship. I was afraid you’d hate me because I kept the secret too long, but I was also afraid of what has to come after confessing my identity to you, Lena. The next part is even harder.”

“Kara,” Lena began.

“I have feelings for you.”

Lena went still, her eyes wide. “What did you say?”

“I want to be myself with you. My whole self, my real self. Not the person I think I have to be to please someone else. I want to tell you everything you want to know about my home and my people and my life and I want to know everything about you. I want to hear you laugh for me and see the look in your eyes when you’re happy to see me. I want to care for you when you’re sick and hold you when you’re sad and be the person that matters to you like you matter to me.”

Kara sucked in a deep breath.

“I used to think I was happy just being Kara with you. Not being Kara Danvers or Kara Zoe-El, just me… but I’m not me without both of those pieces and being without them isn’t good enough. I want you to know the real me. The girl from Krypton who went to high school in California.”

Lena stood up slowly, clearly forcing her breathing even. She adjusted her robe around herself, and looked at Kara for too long a time, silent.

“I hurt you when I promised I’d protect you and I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

“What do you want from me? To tell you it’s okay?” said Lena. “Is that what you want? Because it’s fucking not.”

Kara flinched. She opened her mouth, then closed it.

Lena had given her this courtesy and she’d give it in return.

“It wasn’t just you, Kara. I built my whole life around you and your friends and they became my friends. You gave me a normal world. I got to be a regular girl when I was with you and the others. Do you have any idea what that means to me? What you did to me when you ripped it away? Do you have any idea how you’ve torn me to shreds?”

Kara choked a little, and tried to hold back the tears, and failed.

“I killed Lex. I killed him and I hid his body, myself. I killed my brother for you. And the worst part is I’d do it again. If it was him or you I’d kill him again.”

Cold dread flooded through her.

“That was my fault. That was exactly the kind of thing that I should have protected you from, and I failed you." Kara's breath hitched as she bit back a sob. "I should go."

Lena moved quickly and grabbed her arm tight. "Don't you fucking dare leave. You can't just say those things to me and leave."

Kara's nostrils flared as she sucked in a big breath.

"Lex told me who you were as he was dying. He showed me."

Kara looked at her. "Oh."

"I started to hate you. I started to believe the things he said about you. And what happened then? You told me! You just blurted it out!"

Lena choked down a sob of her own, and something in Kara shattered. Tentatively, carefully, Kara pulled her into a gentle hug, and Lena let her.

"I don't know what to do anymore," Lena whispered into Kara's chest. "I've lost everything."

Kara held her closer, breathing the soft scent of her shower-damp hair.

"I don't know what to do either," Kara admitted. "I just knew I couldn't bear to lie to you again, even by omission. I'll go if you want."

"You're not leaving," said Lena. "I don't want you to go. Promise you won't leave me."

Kara shivered. "Lena…"

"Promise."

"I promise," Kara whispered.

#supercorp #supergirl fanfiction #supergirl #supercorp fanfic #lena luthor #kara danvers #kara x lena #karlena #supergirl fanfic #ficlet #love confession #my headcanons about Krypton #Kara is an alien with alien cultural mores and traditions

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fazedlight · 29 days

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Supergirl the show poses a question: Who is the real Kara?

Kara Zor-El, Kara Danvers, Supergirl. Who's the mask?

In the beginning, Kara doesn't even know. In the aftermath of Krypton's and Kenny's deaths, she did everything she could to appear as normal as possible - there was little room for her own innate traits to shine through when she was being as nondescript and people-pleasing as possible.

But that's not who Kara is.

We get the first glimpse of who Kara really is during Flight 237.

This is not about her being Supergirl or her powers (though both are relevant). Kara has suppressed herself for over a decade. She's not going to make waves - until she has to. Our first real insight into who Kara is now is as a devoted sister. It wasn't until Alex's life was at risk that Kara started breaking out of her shell (and then there was no holding back).

Our protagonist is a mid-20s adult - this isn't a coming-of-age story in the traditional sense. But it is a story of finding oneself and what it takes to get there.

And it starts with defending found family after a lifetime of loss.

So Kara creates the Supergirl persona. I think the cape is a crutch.

People say "a crutch" like it's a bad thing. But crutches are actually pretty fucking useful. They support you when you need it, whether it be short-term or long-term. They help you get around when you otherwise may not be able to.

Kara was deeply traumatized by losing everyone and everything she ever knew, being thrown into a world that overwhelmed her senses and made even her most casual movements into dangerous ones, and was told she needed to suppress everything - who she used to be, what she was going through now - to survive.

To find herself again, maybe she'd need a tool to get past what she had been through! The cape became that tool. She was able to unbury the heritage she had been hiding, she was able to embrace the powers that had burdened her, she was able to find her own bravery (and reactivity, she's got flaws in there too).

Keep in mind, in the scene above, Kara isn't "human for a day". Kara is powerless... just like she spent the first 13 years of her life. Her bravery isn't about her powers or Supergirl; they just help her get started.

That's not where her growth ends.

Kara's instincts for helping people start getting unburied in season 1, and she is excited to tag along someone else's quest to figure out where future threats may lie, or figure out how she can use her powers in service to the DEO.

But it's not until this moment that she realizes that Kara Danvers can be more, too. Lena unintentionally launches Kara's career - a second pathway for Kara's desire to help people, growing into a passion she is going to pursue (even if she gets fired). Her worth is no longer just about her sun-granted powers or being Superman's "younger" cousin.

In season 4, we even see her realization that Kara Danvers can be more powerful than Supergirl, because some fights can't be won by fists. That's a real discovery for herself.

Which I think, looking back, might becoming especially baffling for her... because Kara Danvers was originally an identity imposed on her when she needed to hide.

It's important to note that, while Kara Danvers was originally a facade that Kara gets at thirteen, she doesn't stay a facade - even in the suppression era.

We don't see enough of who Kara is when she's on Earth, left to her own devices. But we see glimpses - we know she likes baking (and we know we shouldn't try what she makes), we know she paints, we know she listens to NSync and Britney Spears. She's a goofball (even when she puts on the cape). Kara Danvers starts as a facade, but becomes a vehicle for Kara to continue developing her personality, now in her new context.

Would she have the same interests on Krypton? Maybe some and not others, maybe some new ones that don't exist on Earth. We're all products of our environments, after all. Her interests as Kara Danvers aren't necessarily fake just because they're different than what she expected.

Though she'll never know who she would've become on Krypton.

Which brings us to Kara Zor-El - the identity that is frozen.

Most people aren't the same person as an adult that they were as a child. Interests, tastes, personality, world outlook, philosophy - all of these shift over time, sometimes dramatically.

Parts of her are going to be deeply rooted in Krypton, and she's going to have ties to a culture that no one else on Earth has. It's not an aspect of herself that she can erase. But it's also not an aspect of herself that was able to develop for the remainder of her childhood and early adulthood.

She, like all of us, was destined to lose pieces of herself. But some of her loss was very sudden, and the pieces she lost probably weren't going to be the same on Krypton. Of course, she has no way to know.

And I think that frustrates her.

I guess my answer to "Who is Kara?" is that the three personalities clash with and harmonize with each other. None of them are truly her. All of them inform who she is.

There's a young Kara Zor-El as her root that was torn from the ground before she could ever grow.

There's a Kara Danvers who formed the bulk of her life - a mask that was given to her, the only vehicle for her personality, who ultimately became someone she could embrace as worthwhile in her own right.

There's a Supergirl who distinctly separates from those around her, but lets her move past her numbness and reclaim her heritage.

And it's that clash that makes her a particularly compelling character.

Maybe that's a cheating answer to the original question.

But there's still a missing piece to the puzzle - because it's not just about Who is Kara? but also about Who does Kara want to be?

I think Supergirl is something that could fade if needed. If Kara lost her powers, she would find a new normal, so long as she was able to pursue her desire to help the world in some capacity.

But the truth of her is somewhere between Kara Danvers and Kara Zor-El. The truth of her is in what Supergirl allowed her to unbury, even if not directly tied to Supergirl herself. But Danvers and Zor-El are burdens, in a way. Lena is one of the few people who sees the person in between, who understands Kara on her own terms. Which is why Kara is terrified of Lena's rejection.

I think it's one of the most telling lines in the show - to be just Kara is to be free of her own baggage, to be able to embrace herself despite the pain in her history. Something I think we all want, that is never entirely possible.

But the pursuit is still a worthwhile one.

#kara danvers #supergirl #character study #headcanon #longpost #mel stuff

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ekingstonart · 1 year

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The dance ends in a unique dip, Lena hovering near the floor and Kara holding her whole weight up by one arm, and in the few crackling, heart-stopping moments before the cheers explode into her eardrums Lena becomes aware that her body has reacted in the most inconvenient possible way.

— from ‘i want something just like this’ by @jazzfordshire

So. I obviously wasn’t kidding when I said I am obsessed to the point of flat-out mania with the image Jazz described of Kara spinning & dipping & throwing Lena around the stage (and Lena trusting both Kara and herself enough to thoroughly enjoy it)

#supercorp fan art #lena luthor #katie mcgrath #supergirl #kara danvers #here comes the bandwagon #jazz i hope you know i adore you & the gorgeous imagery you provide #and also that i largely forewent sleep these past two days #in order to get this one down on a canvas #CHEERS #1k #2k #personal fave

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jazzfordshire · 7 months

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kara would become lost at sea because of a siren song

I was going to answer this just as a funny ask because Kara WOULD get lured out to sea by Siren Lena's song, but I think Lena is tone-deaf and that makes it so much more interesting

And then I thought about it too long and a baby AU was born, lmao. And then I was going to make it a ficlet and just post it on tumblr but then it got too big so??? Enjoy!!

Read it on AO3!

#supercorp #supercorp fic #this got so far away from me but i love my tone-deaf siren Lena

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trashpandato · 7 months

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Romance

Earth customs are weird.

Kara knows this; has known it for many years. And sure, she’s spent all those years trying to learn, trying to understand what makes humans tick so she could mimic it successfully enough to not stand out.

“Fake it til you make it”, Alex used to say, implying that if Kara spent enough time pretending, human behaviour would eventually become second nature to her.

And fake it she did. Some Earth customs were easy enough to adopt. Like wide smiles that cover up her pain, the concept of comfort foods or all-you-can-eat buffets, or even humans’ tendency to find excuses to turn any random day into some kind of celebration - Hump Day, Tax Deadline Day, Polar Bear Plunge Day, National Frozen Yogurt Day. (She’s half-convinced that most of these are inventions by Alex to confuse her, but she celebrates National Gummy Worm Day on July 15th anyway.)

But if she’s honest, a lot of the things that humans do, their customs, their rituals, still seem a little strange to Kara. Even after years of trying to understand.

Chatting up strangers, for example. On Krypton, interactions with someone not known to a person would have required some sort of intermediary, an introduction through a trusted person. If Kara had even dared to walk up to a stranger to talk to them, she would have faced discipline not just from her family but also from the broader community. When she first landed on Earth, she relied on Eliza or Alex to make introductions and felt intensely uncomfortable when kids at school would randomly talk to her. It took her a long time to believably mimic these kinds of human interactions, and if she’s honest, she still prefers an official introduction over just chatting up people out of the blue. (It’s why she was happy to tag along with Clark for her first encounter with Lena.)

Or there’s the act of blowing out candles on a birthday cake. Extinguishing light instead of keeping it burning as a means of celebration. The first time Eliza prompted Kara to blow out her candles, Kara was horrified and it took a lot of gentle reassurances from her adoptive mother to even consider partaking in this peculiar human tradition. To this day, Kara prefers her candles away from her cake and to leave them burning for as long as safely possible.

And then there are all the gestures associated with romance. With Krypton’s system of arranged pairings based on compatibility across a number of important factors, there was no need to wine and dine anyone. She could remember her parents showing affection for each other, but there was never any ritualized approach to romantic moments. Humans, on the other hand, humans have rules about dates, about which flowers are appropriate to give to someone and when, about who pays the bill at the fancy restaurant, about slow-dancing and little gifts and how many feelings to reveal and when.

It’s a lot to keep track of and confusing, and all the romance movies in the world cannot prepare Kara for her first official date with Lena.

She shows up with plumerias, because she knows Lena likes those and she knows, knows, that she’s supposed to bring flowers. But then Lena has tears in her eyes as soon as Kara hands them over, and she’s also wearing this dress that hugs her body in ways that make Kara’s higher brain function fizzle out. So she doesn’t protest when Lena pulls her inside with her hands fisted into the lapels of Kara’s suit jacket, follows Lena’s lead when she pushes her against the kitchen island and kisses her senseless, and finds herself naked and sweaty in Lena’s bed not long after that.

When Kara’s stomach rumbles a couple of hours later and Lena calls to have some food delivered, Lena chuckles.

“We kind of did this all backwards.”

Kara frowns. “How so?”

“Well,” Lena leans in and presses her lips close to Kara’s ear, making her shiver, “usually, the clothes come off after the fancy dinner.”

“You humans have a lot of rules about romance,” Kara huffs, and Lena laughs.

“I suppose we do. But I’m happy to break every single one of them with you, Kara Zor-El.”

#supercorp #kara x lena #supercorptober2023 #supercorptober

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sssammich · 18 days

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fic: let there be another day

inspired by this fantastically angsty gifset of a supercorp AU. happy supercorp sunday yall

thanks x

---

The days transform steadily, selfishly, into weeks. Until the weeks have amounted to six months of nothing. Nothing between them but a phantom line of what they’d been to each other, once upon a time.

There is a crater in Lena’s heart, a botched excavation of the way she’d willed herself to forget Kara, to protect the two of them from the ruthlessness of her family. So she’d cored herself first, hoping to beat her brother and mother to the punch. Yet Kara had dug herself further into her heart, straight into her marrow.

So she failed, in the end, to rid herself of the woman she’d loved with her whole being.

But it’s gotten easier, in a way, existing in this reality where she had to deny herself the chance for happiness if it meant her happiness could live.

Her family has continued to terrorize her, but she’s acclimated. Expected it, really. Their efforts of trying to eliminate the few people who have been able to reach the fortress of her heart have now since changed to recruiting her into the fold of the family business.

She now only functions to keep L-Corp as an entity of good despite her family’s best attempts at compromising her work. It’s fine, because she has accepted that her work will be her life. Her love—her grief—has become the shape of late nights in front of her computer, of half-filled decanters as she oversees expense reports, of dry-cleaned power suits and a lethal red lipstick as armor worn in superfluous business meetings.

It’s worth it, she reasons, when she catches sight of Supergirl zooming past her window to save the day once more.

—

Lena should have known that Lex and Lillian are simply biding their time until they strike. The last couple of months of relative quiet was not a sign of reprieve. So when the glass of her office doors break and splinter into tiny crystalline pieces, her heart aches not in fear, but in disappointment.

She’s never had a death wish and would never wish this hurt upon herself, but the amount of threats to her life has surpassed her age. She thinks that maybe if both Lex and Lillian simply just got it over with, that she can get some goddamn rest. But she knows why she fights and why she keeps going. If only to spite her family, if only so that her sacrifice isn’t in vain.

Another explosion erupts and throws Lena partway across her office, her head hitting the corner of her desk with a thud. She opens her eyes and her vision blurs, her head throbbing with pain, her body tense and sore all at once. Distantly, she can hear the fire alarm go off just as the sprinklers start shooting off water and flooding her office.

She attempts to stand and find an exit, but her body betrays her intentions, buckling under her weight as she’s sprayed with water all around her. She falls onto her knees and subjects herself to crawling towards the exit with only but reckless determination and an almost-extinguished hope that she will make it out of this alive.

Before she can take another step forward, there’s a whooshing sound that fills her already ringing ears and suddenly, warmth envelopes her.

She sighs in resignation and gratitude when she feels the familiar weight around her. Lena knows before she opens her eyes what has engulfed her so safely, so securely. It cuts her heart just as it heals it, and she is in a loop of pain and joy.

She wants to open her eyes, truly, to look into ocean eyes and a field of golden grass. But she is in pain and she is hurting. Her only course of action is to keep her eyes closed as strong arms grab hold of her—gently, always so gently—and whisks her out of her now compromised and ruined office.

—

When she comes to, she finds herself in a secluded and private examination room of the National City Hospital, discretion of the highest priority as a prominent public figure. It’s one she’s been in before, from a past attempt at her life. It’s almost something like a comfort, this familiar space that has seen her bruises, cuts, and scrapes.

The door swings open and she hears Kara behind her begin to make her exit. She doesn’t look up but when she catches sight of the red cape just by the bed, she holds up a hand and stops the movement altogether.

She only lets go when the doctor looks down from her clipboard and settles on the rolling stool, the creak of the leather as she rolls closer to Lena.

She allows the doctor to do what she does best, intently listening to the sound of the squeaking stool and the crinkling of the paper of the examination bed as doctor works.

A mild concussion, some cuts and bruises. It could have been worse, she’s told. It always could have been worse and she wants to yell at Dr. Shapiro that this feels pretty close to the worst. Still, she listens carefully as her doctor explains how fortunate she is for surviving after the second and third explosions completely decimating her office.

“Third explosion?” she asks, this information brand new to her.

“Mm,” the doctor hums. “The second blast was the reason for your concussion, but according to reports, the third blast was close to you and would have knocked you prone and done serious damage had you not found cover.”

Lena tries very hard not to twist her aching body and look over her shoulder.

“Thank you, Doctor.”

The doctor looks at her meaningfully before glancing over Lena’s right shoulder and placing a hand on hers, squeezing, and then letting go.

The door closes with a quiet click, but instead of an exhaled deep breath, she holds herself tense. She shuts her eyes and listens to the way the superhero makes just enough noise so Lena knows where she is. First, from the chair she’d been occupying, then the sound of boots against the linoleum flooring, then the swish of the cape as it catches against the corner of the examination bed and back down again.

“Where can I take you?”

She opens her eyes to the setting sun, to saltwater ocean, to a small smile she hasn’t allowed herself to witness in six months.

She doesn’t know what’s safest, what her family is planning, what the total damage is. She needs her phone, she needs access to her company, she needs—

“Can I go with you?” is what she says.

Kara studies her, like the horizon staring back, and nods. She opens her hand, the thumb loop of her suit wrapping around her palm, and offers it to Lena.

She takes it, sliding her unsteady hand in place and breathes when Kara clasps their hands together.

—

Kara’s apartment smells the exact same.

She does not comment on this, though it’s the most prevalent thought in her mind. Kara lets her walk in first, speeding to the lamps and switching them on until the apartment is bathed in faint golden light. Fitting.

“Get cleaned up. I’ll have some spare clothes for you right outside the bathroom.” Kara passes her a towel, and she hugs it to her chest.

The water scalds her skin, stings the open scratches and cuts. And she revels in it, her alabaster skin reddening under the downpour of it. She savors it until the shower sputters a little and the hot water becomes tepid then becomes cold. She squeals and jumps away, hitting herself against the side of the shower stall and knocking half of the soaps and hair products off the shelf.

Kara is there in an instant, opening the door and getting soaked herself, trying to protect her.

Naked and broken, she looks up to the setting sun that is Kara’s concerned face, and then she starts laughing.

“I—the hot water ran out.”

Kara exhales, that cold water matting down her hair on her forehead as she protects Lena from the downpour. “Sorry, I never did call the landlord about it.”

She turns off the water behind her and steps out of the shower stall to pick up Lena’s towel for her. She opens the towel and turns away.

You’ve seen it all before, she wants to say, but doesn’t. Instead, she takes the towel and wraps it around herself, the cold beads of water from her hair clinging to her neck, her shoulder blades.

Kara steps aside, offers her a shy smile, and leaves wordlessly. Lena listens to the way she walks around the apartment, the clattering of the plates on the table.

She steps out and smiles when she finds spare clothes placed on a stool right outside the bathroom door.

When she next steps out of the bathroom, she is wearing Kara’s oversized shirt with a faded cartoon drawing of National City State Fair on it and a spare set of her pajama pants that she didn’t realize she’d forgotten, she'd thought Kara would have gotten rid of.

The spread of Chinese food on the coffee table is modest, but familiar.

She takes a seat in the spot she once proclaimed as hers, and accepts the plate from Kara’s grasp. They eat in silence with only the sound of the television playing on in the background.

Kara watches her—studying her, Lena’s sure—but doesn’t say anything. She talks about her week because Lena had asked, and so she gives it to Lena. They clear their plates, then she trails after Kara to the kitchen, parking herself on the kitchen island. Kara seems to anticipate her and passes a pint of Cherry Garcia towards her with a spoon on the lid.

“Good for concussions, I heard,” Kara offers, a twitch of a smile on her lips.

She laughs at that, surprised, but accepts the ice cream, opening the lid and taking a spoonful. “That’s tonsillitis.”

Kara shrugs but takes a spoonful of her own Rocky Road on the opposite side of the kitchen island. So much of right now exists superimposed to how things had been before, how their lives had been so entwined, so integrated. It is unnerving as it is comforting, and Lena accepts that for today, at least, she has to accept the disorientation.

Eventually, “here. I charged your phone. I’d call Sam first, then Jess.”

There is distance between them, far greater than the kitchen island in front of her, and it shows itself for the first time now, here. After everything.

“Kara, I—”

“I need to fill Alex in on everything. Let her know you’re alright. I’ll be right outside.”

She nods, glances at her phone and the laptop that Kara slides across the kitchen island, and watches as Kara walks out the front door.

For a solid hour, she works through everything she can considering her mild concussion. She touches base with her assistant, with her team, and finds that they have taken care of everything for her. She sighs in relief, shuddering into her hands when Sam and Jess let her know that they have everything handled, that all they want for her is to rest, that the investigation into her family’s attempt at assassinating her might finally have some legs with some information they’d discovered during the cleanup.

She sighs, sniffling into the back of her hand and tells them goodnight before she closes her phone and sobs into her hands, the day finally wearing her down.

She doesn’t startle when arms wrap around her, the press of a strong body kneeling in front of her as she cries into the crook of Kara’s neck. She grabs fistfuls of Kara’s shirt as her tears soak through the cotton.

Kara only holds onto her, rubbing her back and gently cradling Lena in her arms. Soft shushing filters through Lena’s ears and she sobs further into Kara, hoping Kara can just absorb her entirely, as if that’s the only thing that can protect her—from her family, from the world, from herself.

Her sobs lasts and lasts, a never ending fountain of all the tears she’d shoved back in, a dam bursting now that she’s allowed herself.

—

Kara carries her to the bed, quietly ushering her under the covers just as she sits on the edge of it.

“You saved me,” she says, her voice coming out slightly congested.

Kara brushes her hair behind her ear. “That promise has never changed.”

“They’re never going to stop, are they?”

Kara shakes her head.

“I thought by letting you g—” she huffs, turns away. “I thought I was protecting you. I was trying to do the right thing.”

Kara grabs hold of her hand and places it on her lap, her fingers fiddling with Lena’s palm, but doesn’t quite look at her.

“I’m afraid that the only times I will see you, I’m trying to save your life. And I—it worsens when I think that I can’t make it.”

Lena watches Kara’s beautiful profile, the expanse of her forehead, the slope of her nose into the curves of her lips and down her jutting chin, trembling slightly in the faint light outside the bedroom curtain. Then she sees the bob of Kara’s throat, a single tear falling into the center of her palm.

Kara’s facing her now, and Lena brings up her other hand to wipe Kara’s cheek.

“I missed you, Lena. And I don’t know what I will do if I can’t make it to you in time, I—”

This time, it’s Lena who pulls her close, wrapping the arm that Kara’s been focusing on around her front as she cradles Kara in her arms. “I’m sorry, darling,” she says, voice hoarse. “I’m sorry.”

Kara then turns in her arms and they embrace one another, both hiding in each other.

The tears stain and soak her neck, but she lets it, welcoming Kara’s weight after months of being so untethered.

“Please, just come back to me,” Kara says into her skin, muffled words that hold so much promise. “Let me take care of you. Let me protect you,”

Lena pulls back slightly. “You’d still—you’d still want me?”

“Let me love you again, Lena.”

Unable to hold her own tears back, Lena pushes forward until their lips meet. She angles her head and Kara kisses her back, the pair of them holding each other.

There is an ache to their reunion, but there is healing, too. And Lena remembers, unbidden, Dr. Shapiro’s words. It could have been worse, she’d heard.

But Lena wants it to be better. She deserves at least that, for all of her troubles, and if her family will aim for her and all that she loves, then she can’t hide herself in the shadows.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I love you.”

Tomorrow, she thinks, after the whispered declarations and the promises of more, of better, of a new day. Together.

“I’m here. I’m here. I love you, too. I’m here.”

#samfic #supercorp #inspired by a gifset #i'll post this on ao3 at some point i don't have time for now #anyway please enjoy #kara danvers #lena luthor #kara x lena #karlena #supercorp sunday #god this is riddled with mistakes #i fixed most of them now #god will i ever write the things im supposed to #listen listen i promise i'm working #ok love u bye

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marinawolf · 8 months

Text

Always (supercorp)

Lena has nightmares every night and only Kara can keep them at bay.

Kara finds every excuse to spend the night in Lena's bed so that Lena can sleep.

a soft, fluffy and angsty supercorp fic.

Lena lay in bed, her eyes heavy with exhaustion, but her mind stubbornly refusing to give in to sleep. Night after night, the same haunting nightmares tormented her, a relentless loop of horror that had become all too familiar. It had been a month since that dreadful day when Lex had blown up a building and then turned his madness towards her.

The scar on her stomach throbbed, a constant physical reminder of that traumatic encounter. She traced her fingers over the faint line, a painful memory etched into her skin. Closing her eyes, she could vividly recall that nightmarish moment. The memory played out like a horrifying movie reel in her mind.

Lex, his face contorted with manic rage, covered in sweat and soot from the destruction he had wrought. His eyes glinted with a dangerous intensity as he approached her, a knife concealed up his sleeve.

"This is your last chance to join me, sister," his voice dripped with a chilling mix of desperation and malice.

Lena's response had been firm and resolute, her voice unwavering, "Never."

Lex lunged at her, the knife flashing in the dim light. The searing pain as the blade sliced through her flesh, the shock and disbelief that followed, and then a wave of darkness that enveloped her as her vision blurred and her body gave way.

Just as the darkness threatened to consume her completely, a distant voice penetrated the void. Kara's voice, a desperate scream that pierced through the fog of unconsciousness. But Lena was already slipping away, unable to fight against the pull of oblivion.

Back in the present, Lena's body finally succumbed to its overwhelming fatigue, her eyelids drooping as her thoughts continued to race. She fought against the encroaching sleep, desperately clinging to consciousness. But the battle was a losing one, and eventually, her mind gave in.

The nightmares returned with a vengeance, a macabre tapestry of fear and torment that painted her subconscious in vivid shades of terror. The sound of explosions echoed in her ears, and the memory of Lex's crazed expression haunted her once more. Lena thrashed in her sleep, trapped in a nightmarish cycle that seemed impossible to escape.

As the nightmares intensified, Lena's eyes snapped open, her body drenched in sweat, heart racing. She was back in her room, the dim light casting eerie shadows on the walls. Gasping for air, Lena realized that the room felt suffocating, the weight of her memories and fears pressing down on her. She sat up, her breathing ragged, and rubbed her temples as she tried to shake off the residual terror. She knew she couldn't go on like this, trapped in a cycle of sleepless nights and haunting dreams. But finding a way out seemed impossible, her trauma a prison from which there was no escape.

Exhausted and defeated, Lena lay back down, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. She longed for respite, for a moment of peace, but she knew that the night was far from over, and the nightmares would likely return once more. With a heavy sigh, she braced herself for another sleepless night.

The following night, Lena slid into bed and found herself staring at the ceiling, her heart racing, her breath uneven. She couldn't bear the thought of closing her eyes, of succumbing once more to the terrors that awaited her in the realm of dreams.

With a sigh, she reached over to turn off her lamp, plunging her room into darkness. But just as she settled back against her pillows, a soft knock echoed through the room, startling her. Lena's heart skipped a beat, her body tensing as she cautiously got out of bed.

She padded across the room, her breath catching in her throat when she saw the familiar sight of Kara standing on the balcony, clad in her Supergirl suit. The moonlight illuminated her tousled, windswept blonde hair, and the suit accented her lean physique and the well-defined muscles beneath the suit. Her blue eyes shimmered in the night, and her lips curled into a beautiful smile that made Lena's heart race.

"Kara, hi. What are you doing here?" Lena managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kara's smile widened, her eyes glinting with a playful sparkle. "Hey, Lena. I was on patrol nearby and I'm absolutely exhausted. Do you mind if I crash here?"

Lena's mind was a whirlwind of emotions, but all she could muster was a simple, "No, not at all."

Lena let Kara into her penthouse. Kara often crashed at Lena's after game nights or movie nights but this felt different somehow.

Lena handed Kara a pair of her sweats and a t-shirt, their fingers briefly grazing against each other, sending a shiver of electricity through Lena's veins.

"Thanks, Lena," Kara said appreciatively before disappearing into the bathroom to change. Lena watched the closed door, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. She took a seat on the edge of her bed, the anticipation building as she waited for Kara to emerge.

The moments ticked by, each second feeling like an eternity as Lena's heart raced. The quiet rustling of fabric signaled Kara's return, and Lena's breath caught as she looked up to see Kara stepping out of the bathroom, dressed in Lena's clothes. The clothes were slightly short on Kara, exposing a tantalizing glimpse of her toned abs. Lena's throat went dry, and she swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest, her fingers itching to trace the path of those well-defined muscles..

She had always known that her feelings for Kara ran deeper than the love one felt for a friend, a truth she had carefully kept hidden behind carefully constructed walls of friendship, but in moments like this, she struggled to keep her feelings at bay.

Normally, Kara would retire to one of the guest rooms, and Lena had assumed tonight would be no different. But to Lena's surprise, Kara moved with graceful purpose, sliding into Lena's bed as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Despite the many nights they had spent under the same roof, Kara had never slept in Lena's bed. This was something Lena had never even dared to imagine, even in her wildest dreams.

With cautious steps, Lena slipped under the covers, settling beside Kara. The bed seemed impossibly small, the space between them charged with an electric tension. Kara turned onto her side, facing Lena, and Lena mirrored her position, their gazes locked.

"Goodnight, Lena," Kara whispered, her breath ghosting over Lena's lips before she closed her eyes.

"Goodnight, Kara."

Lena found herself acutely aware of Kara's presence beside her. With her eyes closed, she tried to find a sense of calm, allowing the rhythm of Kara's breath to guide her.

As time passed, Lena felt herself gradually relaxing, the softness of the moment easing the usual restlessness that plagued her nights. The fear of nightmares still lingered, but it felt distant.

She felt herself surrendering to sleep. The sound of Kara's steady breathing became comforting.

In the quiet darkness of the room, Lena's consciousness slipped away, her mind finally finding a respite from the torment of her past. As sleep claimed her, the usual nightmares were conspicuously absent.

The soft, warm rays of morning light gently filtered through the curtains, casting a serene glow over the room. Lena stirred, gradually awakening from the depths of slumber, her senses slowly coming to life. The sensation that enveloped her was one of warmth and security, a comfort she hadn't experienced in a long time.

She realised that Kara's arms were tightly wrapped around her and her body was pressed against Lena's back, their forms fitting together as if they were two pieces of a puzzle perfectly aligned.

Lena's heart danced within her chest as she felt Kara's breath ghosting against the back of her neck, a sensation that sent shivers of delight down her spine. The intimacy of the moment was intoxicating and left her heart racing dangerously.

Kara stirred beside her, her movements slow and gentle. Lena could hear a soft, almost inaudible mumble from Kara, the sound of her voice tugging at Lena's heartstrings. "Oh, sorry," Kara's voice was a gentle whisper.

Lena felt a twinge of disappointment as Kara began to extricate herself from their embrace.

As Lena turned to look at Kara, her eyes were met with a sleepy smile that seemed to illuminate the entire room. Lena's heart skipped a beat as she took in the sight of Kara's tousled hair and the soft lines of her face.

"Morning," Kara's voice was soft and sleepy.

Lena's fingers itched to reach out, to brush away the hair that had fallen across Kara's forehead, to trace the delicate curve of her cheek. But a sense of shyness held her back, a lingering hesitation that reminded her of the boundaries Lena had always maintained.

Over the course of the next two weeks, Lena's life took an unexpected turn. To her immense surprise and relief, Kara seemed to find a reason, however small, to spend every single night in Lena's bed. It was a pattern that quickly became a comforting routine. Each evening, as the world outside dipped into the embrace of night, Kara would slip into Lena's bed, a shield against the haunting nightmares that had held Lena captive for far too long.

Lena's waking moments became increasingly filled with the sense of Kara's proximity. She would wake up each morning wrapped in Kara's strong arms, the gentle rise and fall of her chest against Lena's back serving as a soothing reassurance. The nightmares, which had once been an unrelenting torment, remained at bay, their usual grip loosening with every passing night.

Lena reveled in the comfort of Kara's embrace and her eyes often lingered on Kara's serene features as they lay tangled together under the covers. Yet, amidst the warmth of Kara's presence, Lena was fighting her feelings.

Lena's feelings for Kara deepened with every night they spent together, the lines between friendship and something more becoming more blurred each night. She found herself captivated by Kara's laughter, drawn to the way her eyes sparkled when she shared stories of her day, enchanted by her bashful grace.

But Lena couldn't ignore the growing questions that tugged at her thoughts. Why was Kara staying over so often? The skepticism that had once colored her perception of others now cast a shadow over her moments of happiness. Lena's heart raced, her mind a whirlwind of uncertainty as she tried to make sense of the situation.

One evening, as they sat together on Lena's couch, wrapped in a blanket and sipping tea, Lena's resolve solidified. The time had come to breach the subject that had been gnawing at her. She looked at Kara, her gaze a mixture of curiosity and concern. "Kara, is everything okay?"

Kara turned her head to meet Lena's eyes, her expression serene yet guarded. "Mm, yes, why?"

Lena's lips twitched into a half-smile, the tension in the room palpable. "You've spent the last fourteen nights here. Is there something going on? Not that I don't love having you stay over—I really do. But if you're having problems with your apartment or something, I can help."

Kara's blue eyes flickered, her gaze momentarily shifting before she leaned in closer to Lena. Her fingers, warm and tender, slipped beneath Lena's shirt, tracing a path over the jagged scar on Lena's abdomen. Lena's breath hitched as Kara's touch sent shivers of sensation through her.

"You know every night on patrol, I fly past your penthouse to check on you? Just to listen to your heartbeat and make sure you're okay." Kara's voice held a mix of vulnerability and sincerity, her fingertips mapping the contours of Lena's scar as if tracing a roadmap of the past. "Especially since everything with Lex, since he hurt you. I heard your nightmares every night, Lena, and it pained me to see you so broken. And when I stayed over that first night, I noticed that the nightmares didn't come. So I thought maybe if I stayed over, you could sleep better."

Lena's eyes glistened with unshed tears as Kara's words sank in, the depth of Kara's care astounding to her. She felt a lump forming in her throat.

"Sorry," Kara continued, "I know I should have told you, but I know you would think that I was inconveniencing myself or something. But I'm not. I want you to be okay, Lena, and I'll do anything for you. If I could undo what happened, I would. But I can't, so this is something I can do for you."

Lena was speechless. Tears pricked at the corners of Lena's eyes as Kara's words washed over her, a wave of emotions crashing against the walls she had carefully constructed around her heart. Kara's selflessness had left her utterly stunned, and Lena realized that no one had ever cared for her so deeply, so unconditionally before. She couldn't hold back the tears that spilled from her eyes, the floodgates of her emotions breaking open.

Kara. Sweet Kara. Always there for Lena, always looking out for her. Lena had never felt such profound love before.

Moved beyond words, Lena leaned forward, her heart pounding against her chest. Her hand found Kara's, their fingers intertwining. Kara's gaze on her held her captive.

The floodgates of vulnerability opened, and before she could think, before she could second-guess herself, she acted on the feelings she had been hiding for so long.

Lena leaned forward, her heart pounding in her chest as she pressed her lips against Kara's. The kiss was a confession, an unspoken declaration of every feeling she had hidden behind those walls for so long.

Kara froze for a second and Lena's heart stopped, but just as quickly, her lips began moving against Lena's- a soft, desperate kiss. There was a vulnerability in the way Kara kissed her back, a raw honesty that stripped away any doubts Lena may have had. Her heart felt like it was going to explode. Kara was kissing her back and in that moment, nothing else mattered.

Time seemed to stand still as their lips moved against each other. Lena's fingers trembled as they found their way to Kara's cheek, her touch gentle and filled with wonder. The taste of Kara's lips was a revelation.

As the kiss finally drew to a close, Lena pulled back slightly, her eyes fluttering open to meet Kara's gaze.

"Thank you," she whispered, “for being here.”

And Kara smiled that blindingly beautiful smile, and whispered, "Always" before crashing her lips against Lena's once more.

#supercorp #kara danvers #lena luthor #supergirl #kara x lena #supercorp fanfic #kara zor el #fanfic #kara danvers x lena luthor #lena luthor x kara danvers #lena and kara #protective kara danvers #supergirl imagine #cw supergirl #supergirl crack #supergirl tv #supercorp fluff #kara zor el x lena luthor #supercorp first kiss

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appropriatelystupid · 6 months

Note

lol notebooks count! lol your "food truck shenanigans" reminded me of crepe AU so now if you please i'd love to know what you've got cookin heh

the short of it: everyone owns a food truck and lena doesn’t know how to deal with seeing kara at events all over the city

lena runs soupergirl (which also has a storefront)

kara runs steamy wieners (and is also supergirl and is immediately smitten with lena because of her and also the name)

#it’s honestly become a bit of my dumping ground for any silly little ideas that i’d love to have in a fic #like kara volunteering for a dunk tank #and also there’s a whole section of my notes that are just food related clothing i’ve seen that i want to make kara wear #mostly for lena to lament that she finds her attractive even in nonsense shirts #sc au stuff #wip title game #sssammich #appropriatelyasked #stupidlyanswered

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incorrect-supercorp · 11 months

Text

Alex: Lena, would you do me the honour of becoming my sister-in-law?

Kara: Did you just propose to her for me?

Alex: Someone had to!

#supercorp #lena luthor #alex danvers #kara danvers #danvers sisters #supergirl #incorrect supergirl #incorrect quotes #supercrack #source: unknown

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spaceman-earthgirl · 1 year

Note

idk if you’re still doing supergirl writing, but a fic where Lena finds out Kara is supergirl based on her hug alone.

This ask was from a while ago but I've been in a supercorp mood again recently so decided to write something. Enjoy :)

---

A hug from Kara Danvers is a very specific sort of thing.

It’s also one of Lena’s favourite things.

She may not have had a lot of hugs overall in her life, certainly she missed out on a lot as a kid, but she knows that Kara gives absolutely amazing hugs.

Kara has it down to an art.

First of all, Kara’s hugs are always so warm. Lena’s not sure how she does it, they just are. A hug from Kara never makes her feel anything less than completely warm, held in strong arms, pressed against the heat of Kara’s body.

And maybe the warmth isn’t exactly something Kara can control, but what she can control is how tight her hugs are. Kara’s arms wrapping around her are never too loose, like the hug is just a common courtesy, and never too tight or smothering, it’s perfect. Kara always holds her tight, tight enough that Lena can sink into the embrace, sink into Kara’s warmth, can forget about everything else except for the warm body embracing her own.

Kara also knows exactly how long to hug for. And okay, so maybe sometimes Lena would like the hugs to last a bit longer, but her hugs never feel awkward with their length of time.

Kara will hug her in greeting, arms tight around her body but brief, a smile on Kara’s face when they pull apart that makes Lena feel warm for different reasons. Goodbye hugs go about the same way, except for the fact they’re not quite as brief. Kara always lingers, time stretching as they hug, Lena hoping it’ll last forever. Lena’s favourite goodbye hugs are always after game night, when it’s just the two of them left in Kara’s apartment, Kara in her comfy clothes, feeling so soft against Lena as they hug.

There are other types of hugs, hugs when they’re both happy and they embrace quickly, hugs that are longer, meant only to comfort the other. And hugs for no other reason than they want to.

Lena’s never had a friend quite like Kara. Lena’s probably had more hugs from Kara than she has had the rest of her life.

Not that Lena’s going to complain about that.

Last is the way Kara smells. Lena can’t describe exactly what Kara smells like, but she smells sweet, a mix of something floral and something else Lena can’t quite identify. Lena always presses her face into Kara’s neck when they hug, tries not to make it obvious that’s she’s breathing her in.

So, all of this combined is what makes Kara’s hugs perfect. Lena may have gotten drunk once and told all of this to Sam, who had pointed out that maybe it was just the fact that it was because she was hugging Kara that it was perfect, and Lena knows that’s probably a big part of it too, but she didn’t admit that part.

Sam has also teased her endlessly about it since.

---

The last thing Lena expects today is to be attacked.

Actually, that’s not true, her life being threatened has unfortunately become somewhat of a common occurrence.

It’s fine, as it usually is, with Supergirl swooping in to save the day. But this time it was close, and she can see the worry and panic in Supergirl’s eyes as her gaze flits around Lena’s body, looking for injury.

There’s something familiar in the gaze that Lena can’t quite place.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Lena smiles. She’s shaken, she will admit, but she’s okay, she’s alive, her brother didn’t win this time. “Thanks to you.”

It’s probably more accurate to say the last thing she expects today is the shaky “Lena” Supergirl exhales before she finds herself with an armful of the hero.

It only takes a moment, as soon as the surprise at being hugged wears off, for Lena to instinctively wrap her arms around Supergirl in return, her body working on memory alone.

It takes her mind a bit longer to figure it out.

Supergirl is so warm, feels so familiar pressed against her. She thinks for a moment it’s just her own familiarity with the hero but she knows the press of arms against her back, the strength that keeps her close. Her face finds its way to the crook of Supergirl’s neck and she knows this smell too, breathes in the familiar scent as Supergirl’s arms tighten around her.

It’s the “I’m so glad you’re okay,” that really seals it, the worry in Kara’s voice. She knows it’s not just Supergirl she’s hugging, but her best friend too.

She’s not even angry, or upset, that Kara hasn’t told her, because it’s obvious by the shake of Kara’s body that she cares about her. It’s not mistrust or lack of care that has made her hide her secret, it’s something else.

She doesn’t say anything when Kara finally releases her, now is not the time, not when there’s Lex to deal with, not when both of their emotions are all over the place. There’ll be time to talk later, once this is all dealt with.

(It’s not Lena that brings it up, it’s Kara, a week later, that same shake in her voice when she tells Lena the truth about her identity. That fear is back too, and Lena can see once again, how much Kara cares for her, knows how much she trusts her, the fact that she’s sharing her secret evidence enough of that.

She can see how scared Kara is she’ll lose her because of this too.

“Thank you, for telling me,” is all Lena says before she pulls Kara into a hug.

Kara’s relief is evident in how tight she hugs Lena back, the way she presses her face into Lena’s shoulder, and how she doesn’t let go for a really long time).

(It’s two months after that, that Kara shares another secret, right after Lena has told her how much she loves her hugs.

This time, Lena doesn’t pull Kara in for a hug, but for a kiss instead.

It’s also perfect).

#supergirl #supercorp #kara danvers #lena luthor #ask #anon #supercorp fanfic

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lena-in-a-red-dress · 2 months

Text

AU where Kara is still an assistant when Lena becomes CEO of CatCo. She makes some changes but one thing Cat tells her under no uncertain terms is that a) Kara stays, and b) she's destined to become a reporter when she's ready.

I'm going back and forth on whether Lena and Kara are friends at this point, or whether Lena simply takes on CatCo before they meet. But basically I want to see Kara having to a) build new connections to get Lena what she needs and b) learning what it's like to work for somebody who doesn't treat like dirt most days.

Like, imagine her standing dumbfounded the first time she brings Lena her coffee, because Lena simply thanks her, genuinely. And then the flush of pride when Lena comments in pleasant surprise when she discovers the coffee is perfectly warm-- not hot enough to scald, but not the usual tepidness of coffee thats had to travel three blocks to get to her.

Because Cat always took those little efforts for granted, as an expectation. But Lena smiles slyly as she regards Kara anew, and says "I think we're going to work together just fine."

Because Kara worked for Cat, not with her. And that small semantic means the world. Because its true-- Cat, and now Lena, wouldn't be able to do what she does without Kara doing what she does.

And that just makes Kara want to work all the harder. She finds she WANTS to stay late when Lena does, mostly because Lena urges her to go home, and that kind of kindness is the kind that's paid back by staunchly ignoring her and sticking around anyway. And she takes extra effort to learn all of Lena's preferences and idiosyncracies, so that she knows exactly what Lena needs when she's had a meeting with that particular board member she's outwardly civil to but clearly loathes.

The first and only time Kara brings Lena salmon for lunch, she's absolutely devastated when Lena looks at it, shoulders falling. "I forgot to tell you I can't stand salmon," she says, resignedly.

Kara's eyes go wide in horror. "Oh! No, that's okay, I'll just go--"

"Please don't bother, it's my fault, I never told you--"

"It's no problem at all. Just-- wait here okay?"

As if Lena would be anywhere but her desk. But in ten minutes, Kara returns with a greasy paper sack.

"I promise, this isn't a punishment for needing something last minute," Kara says quickly. "These are legitimately the best burgers in the city, and honestly, it's the greatest gift I could ever give you."

Okay. Maybe she's laying it on a little thick. But Lena only looks at her with a bemused smile. "All right," she slowly agrees. Her eyebrow quirks. "I'm assuming you picked up something similar for yourself?"

Kara blushes. "Yeah. Can't help myself."

"Good. Then you can eat with me."

Freezing, Kara feels like a deer in the headlights. For all that Lena has treatedher as an equal, they've never eaten together in the same room. They usually eat at their own desks, working through.

"Really?"

"Really." Lena's gaze turns artificially solemn. "If I'm going to have a self-induced heart attack, I better have someone there to call 911."

Unable to keep herself from grinning, Kara scuttles to retrieve her own burger and fries from her desk. And there, together, they share the first of many, many meals to come.

#supercorp #assistant au #kara as lenas assistant #just friends #but if they do get romantic it would be after kara moves on from catco #ill probably post an update for it at some point

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natalievoncatte · 1 year

Text

It just clicks into place.

When Lena failed to answer Kara’s fourth text, she did what any normal, well adjusted adult would do: put on her skintight suit and cape and jump out of her window.

Well, not any well-adjusted adult, but then, most adults can’t fly. Nor can most children, for that matter.

Kara circles the building three times, carefully listening. The familiar beat of that heart steady and strong, if a little slow. She has to be sure, though, and Lena probably hasn’t eaten.

By now, the sight of Supergirl walking into L-Corp in the more ordinary way has become less exciting, though no less a spectacle. Random visitors wearing temporary badges gawk as Supergirl nods to the woman stationed at the front security desk, while interns look cool by putting on their best and most fragile “oh, it’s just Supergirl, happens all the time” faces.

She even rides the elevator up.

Jess is at her desk when Kara arrives.

“She left strict instructions not to be disturbed.”

Kara doesn’t miss a stride. “I know.”

Jess makes no effort to stop her, but smiles secretly to herself and begins gathering her things, knowing she’s going to be sent home in short order anyway.

Kara gently opens the doors and steps inside. Lena has dimmed the lights and lies curled on the couch. She’s dressed in a power suit today, the jacket draped over her body like a blanket. When she fell into repose, she was so tired that she only managed to kick off one heel, the other swaying dangerously from her toes, in time with her breathing.

Lena’s head rests on one curled arm, her raven hair spilling over her creamy blouse and the white couch like a waterfall at night, her pale face the soft glow of a clouded moon. In sleep she worries at her lip and her brows pinch a little and she mutters something, and without even a second thought, Kara brushes loose dark curls back from her eyes.

And then it just clicks into place.

Worlds have lived and died, and Kara has crossed oceans of time and space for this moment. All the things that have happened all the way to the first trembling instability in her homeworld’s rotten green core have led to this, and not for the first time, Kara finds herself with a sting behind her eyes and guilt pulling at her like hooks; how dare she profit like this, from such an ending, receive such grace piled upon grace, not only to survive the absolute catastrophe but to prosper like this? To receive such a gift as Lena?

And then it just clicks into place.

This is a gift, a recompense. Something earned and deserved. It would not be a betrayal of all that came before if she accepts this, but it would be a betrayal if she refuses it. And finally, watching Lena mumble something about a product launch in her sleep, the crack in Kara Zoe-El Danver’s heart opens too wide to ever be forced closed again. She is lost.

Lena feels Kara’s touch, steel fingers on silken earlobe. She wakes blearily, blinking gummy eyes full of wonder.

“Oh,” Lena murmurs. “You’re here? I thought I dreamed you.”

All of Kara’s planned words die on her lips; there is no teasing, no playful admonishment about eating habits or working late.

“Let me take you home,” Kara says, and when Lena nods, there is, finally, peace.

“The way their partner looks when they fall asleep/wake up”

#supercorp #supergirl fanfiction #supercorp fanfic #supergirl #lena luthor #kara danvers #kara x lena #karlena #supergirl fanfic #ficlet

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fazedlight · 4 months

Text

Asynchronous (Rift era, pre-Crisis, not nearly as much sc angst as the gif implies)

Where am I?, Kara thought, her body shaking as she pushed herself off the floor she had apparently crashed into, trying to stand. How long was I unconscious?

Her head was killing her. Pain was a rarity under a yellow sun, and in this case the feeling was hard to shake - it was just all too reminiscent of not long ago, when she was trapped in kryptonite, fighting burning lungs and a blinding headache while fighting heartbreak at the same time.

But she needed to not think about Lena right now.

Kara searched her mind for the last thing she remembered, Brainy’s words transmitted to her ears, telling her about the capabilities of the alien creature she was fighting. The creature was generally docile enough - but in a panic, it would thrash and quake, and it had the unique ability to…

Where… When am I?, Kara thought, looking around at the building whose ceiling she had fallen into. The creature could send her anywhere in time and space - forward or back in time, across the planet or galaxy, it didn’t matter. The good news is that the effect would be temporary in nature, lasting a day at most, before she snapped back into place, something about attenuated vibrations. “Time is like a rubber band,” Brainy had said, though Kara was certain she could hear pain in his attempt to simplify the explanation.

Kara heard the buzz of a portal behind her, the quick cock of a gun. “Don’t move,” came the familiar voice. “These aren’t ordinary bullets.”

Kara turned slowly, deflating under the hard eyes of her ex-best-friend. Lena was tense and angry, her finger resting on the trigger, her other hand on a tracking device. My heat signature, Kara thought, Guess she has kryptonite bullets now.

Lena’s eyes narrowed as she reached to her belt, before tossing vibrant green cuffs in Kara’s direction. “Put those on.”

Kara lowered herself to the floor, taking the cuffs, feeling the burn in her hands. She couldn’t really fathom Lena trying to kill her. But after the disruption of Lena’s Myriad plan, and now being held at gunpoint… “Lena, what are - what are you going to do?”

“How do you know my name?” Lena growled.

Kara’s eyes widened. Anywhere in time and space… “Who do you think I am?” Kara asked.

“Is that a joke?” Lena asked, as Kara’s mind revved into overdrive. “You think you can come back, with cartoonish S on your chest, and we’ll forget the Third Reich?”

Fear sank into Kara’s stomach. Earth X. “Lena, I know this looks like-”

“Through the portal. Now.”

-----------

Kara found herself sitting in an interrogation room.

Her mind was scrambling for what Barry had said had become of Earth X - she remembered that, in the aftermath, the Third Reich had fallen to the Resistance, which was trying to rebuild a non-fascist society. But she knew the balance had to be fragile. The Reich had its proponents.

But Kara didn’t have long to think, before another familiar face walked into the room. “Winn!” Kara said, jumping up.

“Sit down,” Winn growled back.

Kara tensed, shaking off her confusion as she slowly sank to her chair, as Winn gave Lena a skeptical look. Right, he’s not the Winn I know either…

Lena shrugged. “She knew my name, too.”

“You’re both my friends,” Kara said softly, “On my Earth.”

Winn ignored her words, stepping around the table to take a seat at its corner. “We need to know if the Führer is still alive.”

“He’s dead,” Kara said, meeting Winn’s eyes. “As is his wife.”

Winn’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“I was sent here by accident,” Kara answered. “At some point in the next day or so, I’ll snap back to my own Earth.” If you don’t kill me first, she thought.

“And how do I know you’re from another Earth?” Winn demanded.

“You met my sister,” Kara whispered, thinking back to Alex’s stories when they were separated on Earth X, years ago. “Alex Danvers. On my Earth, she’s your friend too.”

“You,” Winn said skeptically. “I’m friends with you.”

“I’m not from your Earth,” Kara said. “I’m not asking you to trust me. Just let me live long enough to go back to my own time.”

-----------

Kara fidgeted as she sat alone in the room again - watching, waiting, itching against the bounds of her kryptonite cuffs.

She was certain that Winn and Lena - possibly others - were debating what to do with her. Hopefully they don't just kill me, Kara thought, searching her mind for how she might prove she’s not from their Earth.

But the door opened again.

Lena stepped in quietly, eyes on Kara. But the anger was subdued from before. She was curious. “Lena,” Kara whispered.

The wariness wasn’t gone from Lena’s stance, but she sat across from Kara. “What’s it like, on your Earth?”

Kara smiled. My Lena would be curious about the other Earths too, she thought. “The Third Reich ended in 1945. We’re… far from a perfect world. But we haven’t had the struggle that you’ve had.”

“And you and I are friends?”

Kara’s expression faltered, as she glanced down at her hands. “We used to be. We used to be best friends.”

“What happened?”

Kara bit at her lip, unable to look Lena in the eye. “I betrayed you. You hate me now.”

Lena’s brows furrowed. “That doesn’t seem to be the sort of thing that would help your cause.”

“I’m not going to lie to you again,” Kara said. “I’ve done too much of that. The other you, I mean.”

Lena frowned, and Kara could see some of the tension in her body rise again. “What happened to my Earth’s Kara? How did she die?”

“Her heart was dying from too much solar exposure,” Kara said. “I took her up into the atmosphere before her body… it started a nuclear reaction.”

“And the Führer?”

“Oliver from another Earth killed him.”

Lena’s eyebrows briefly raised. “Winn met him, apparently.”

“Yeah. My sister was there too.”

-----------

Kara itched at her bonds again, wishing there was a clock she could check. I don’t know how much time would be left anyway, she thought to herself. But at least I’d know…

She was surprised to hear the door open again. Lena walked through with a cup and some bread, placing both in front of Kara on the table. “You must be hungry,” she said.

“Thank you,” Kara murmured, leaning forward and beginning to eat.

“What did you lie to me about?” Lena asked. “On your Earth?”

Kara swallowed harshly. “I- I kept my kryptonian identity from you. Kryptonians and Luthors don’t get along.”

“Luthors?”

Kara’s brow crinkled. “Are you a Walsh, here?”

Lena nodded slowly.

“Your mother…” Kara asked. “She’s alive?”

Lena’s eyes narrowed. “Yes.”

Kara smiled. She got to be raised by Elizabeth, she thought. “Are the Luthors alive? On this Earth?”

“No,” Lena said. “Alexander Luthor was the last Führer, before Oliver Queen. There was a power struggle.”

Kara nodded. “You were raised by the Luthors. On my Earth. So when I hid my identity, and became friends with you… you didn’t take it well when you found out.”

Lena looked on curiously. “The secret? Drove me to hate you?”

Kara shook her head. “There were other mistakes I made. In the aftermath. I… hurt you pretty badly.”

“So what did I do next?”

“You tried to brainwash the world.”

Lena’s eyes widened. “Why?”

“To make everyone kind.”

Lena’s brow raised. I guess that resonates, Kara thought. In a world full of fascists…

“I can see the appeal,” Lena said.

-----------

Kara was fascinated. And bored.

Her only company was Lena, on and off. She was grateful when Lena came in with food, and over the moon when Lena came in to exchange Kara’s kryptonite cuffs with far less painful power cuffs.

But her moments with Lena were few and far between given her apparent other responsibilities, leaving Kara staring up at the ceiling for long stretches of time.

She found herself torn, thoughts of “When will I be able to go home?” warring with “I hope my Lena looks at me like that again someday.”

-----------

“Are you happy here?” Kara asked. “Are you- are you with anyone?” Lena smiled. “I met him a year ago,” she said. “We butted heads on technical projects. Trying to rebuild our society’s infrastructure. But something more came of it.”

Kara smiled. “Jack?”

Lena’s eyes widened, and she nodded. “Jack.”

Kara nodded too. “I’m glad you have someone.”

Lena tilted her head curiously. “Were we more than friends?”

“You and Jack? Yeah, on my Earth-”

“No,” Lena clarified. “You and I. What were we to each other?”

Oh. “No,” Kara said, shifting uncomfortably. “We were only ever friends.”

“Is that all you wanted?”

“I just- don’t think it’s relevant to you-”

“I don’t know what I’m like on your Earth,” Lena said, leaning forward on her arms. “But if someone hurt me so badly that I try to brainwash the world about it, I think that person must’ve meant something to me.”

Kara bit her lip.

Lena’s brow quirked. “If your plan is to never lie to me again, that seems like the sort of thing you should tell me. Other me.”

Kara laughed, her heart twinging with joy and pain. “If we ever get along again, I’ll tell you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

-----------

“Why are you trusting me?” Kara asked curiously.

“What do you mean?” Lena asked, in a tone that was more coy than confused.

“You just seem less suspicious of me than before,” Kara shrugged. “In the beginning.”

Lena’s lips quirked, taking a moment to consider Kara. She then raised her hand, twisting it slightly, causing a small yellow glow to appear. Kara noted in shock that there seemed to be a glow passing over her own body, too. “What’s happen- what are you doing?”

“Just making your temporal shift visible,” Lena said. “I scanned you after our first meeting. I can’t prove you’re not from this Earth, but I can prove that you’re not where the universe expects you to be right now.”

“I’m sorry, but-” Kara sputtered. “But are you using magic?”

“Lena doesn’t have magic on your Earth?” Lena said.

“I can’t even get my Lena to believe in magic,” Kara said with a laugh. “Rao, this is amazing.”

Kara glanced up, and found Lena smiling.

-----------

“How long have I been here?” Kara asked.

“About 12 hours,” Lena said. “Honestly, I’d let you go. But Winn said it might cause a panic anyway, if too many people see you walking around.”

Kara sat back for a moment. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

-----------

It was at the 17 hour mark - just after Lena had brought in more food - that Kara’s hands began to glow. “What are you doing now?” Kara asked.

“Nothing,” Lena said, leaning forward to eye the glow. “I think you’re being pulled back.”

“Oh,” Kara said, glancing up at the alternate Lena. What should I say? “Thank you,” Kara murmured. “Thanks for being good company.”

“Give me time,” Lena said gently.

“Time?”

“I’ll come to my senses,” Lena said, thinking to herself, nodding. “I- I know there’s baggage. But at some point, I will come to my senses. I’ll come back to you.”

Kara smiled. “I hope so.”

“Good luck, Kara Zor-El.”

-----------

Kara found herself falling. No longer cuffed, no longer in a dark dusty room - but bathed in sunlight and breathing fresh air. Earth-38, she thought gratefully.

She blinked, shooting upwards in the sky again, hearing shouting in her ear. “Kara?” came Brainy’s panicked voice. “Kara, are you still there?”

“I’m here,” Kara gasped, looking over National City.

“Must’ve lost you for a minute,” Brainy said. “The creature is by the arboretum. We’ve finished making the power net, J’onn is flying it over.”

Kara glanced to the north, but her ears were fixating somewhere southeast, locating a familiar heartbeat. We’ll figure it out, Kara thought, clinging to Earth X Lena’s words.

We’ll get there, in the end. “I’m on my way.”

#I wrote this while extremely sleep deprived so I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense #haven't done a ficlet in a while so it feels good to stretch my legs??#supercorp #mel writes ficlets

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